Freelancers: Use Your Friends and Family Network
Posted by Maya Smart on Mon, Apr 19, 2010 @ 10:00 AM
by Maya Payne Smart
Sometimes freelance writers make the task of drumming up new business harder than it needs to be by overlooking the resources right in front of them. Before you spend a lot of time chasing editors you've never met, why not tell the most trusted people you already know that you're looking for work? That's right: Talk to your friends and family.
You don't have to be Rupert Murdoch's next of kin or Arianna Huffington's BFF to use personal connections to your professional advantage. Your inner circle may not include any media moguls, but one of your friends or family members may know someone — or know someone who knows someone — who needs a story you're ready and willing to write.
Explain what it means to be a "freelance writer."
We tend to view friends and relatives as the people we hang out with when we're
not at work. But as freelancers, we have to bring our networking A-game all the time. This includes casual and recreational situations. Start by clearly explaining your work, goals and interests. It's shocking how easily the uninitiated can equate "freelance writer" with "slacker."
Avoid this (and other frustrating situations) by providing examples of what you do — and don't do. Want to meet Lucy Lou who runs the pet daycare and needs someone to put together her Web site? No. Tell people what you specialize in, who your ideal clients are and which types of sources you like to cultivate. Help your friends and family help you.
By letting everyone know how hard we work, what exactly it is that we do and what we're looking for in terms of jobs, we enable them to share that information with others. Then, if they know or meet people who may be helpful to us, our names come to mind. The best part: Our new connection comes with a personal reference.
Keep everyone in the loop.
Once your friends and family know what you're up to, remind them again later. The easiest way to do this is to send them links to new stories periodically. The people who support you like to see what you're up to. If you belong to Facebook or another social network, post the link there, too. Encourage loved ones to forward or repost your work.
When my husband and I relocated to South Carolina several years ago, he told a local beat reporter he met that I was a writer, too. The reporter's wife happened to be an editor, and she got in touch with me when she was seeking writers for the launch of G Magazine, a lifestyle publication in Greenville. The connection led me to some interesting assignments, such as profiles of local celebrities, including bluesman Mac Arnold and Tour de France veteran George Hincapie.
Pursue leads — and follow up on them.
Recently, I was sitting next to a friend of a friend at a basketball game. He asked me what I do and I told him, very specifically, that I was a freelance writer who specializes in covering business topics for print and online media. As it turned out, he had a good friend who was the publisher of a national business magazine and said he would introduce us.
I sent the acquaintance a letter of introduction (for more on these, check out First Impressions: The Letter of Introduction), which he forwarded to his publisher friend. By the end of the month, I had a freelance assignment for the magazine.